Cleansing and Detoxifying Your Body Systems

Lately, it seems like more patients are asking me about detoxification diets. The principal behind a detoxification diet is to get accumulated toxins flushed out of your system. In our modern society, we are exposed to toxins from all angles. When it comes to toxin exposure, most people think about food as the way we are poisoning our bodies. It is a lot more than just food. We are exposed to toxic chemicals in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the air fresheners we use in our homes, and in the shampoos, perfumes, lotions, and toothpastes we use on our bodies.

There are a few basic rules you need to consider when it comes to cleansing and detoxifying your body. First, you need to stop exposing your body to these toxins. Your body has amazing healing capabilities and as soon as you stop adding the junk in it, it starts to get the junk out. Your body uses your skin, your bowels, your urine, and your lungs as routes of detoxification, so it is important that these organs be capable of doing their job to the best of their ability.

The first thing you want to look at is the nerve supply to these detoxification organs. If you have a pinched nerve, usually caused by bones in the spine moving out of place, they can block the messages from the brain from getting to the organs and this can cause the organs to malfunction. As a chiropractor, I always look to the spine to see if there is nerve interference because if there is nerve interference and that is not corrected, all other treatments do not work as efficiently as they can. If you have a pinched nerve, 10% of the time it will hurt, however, 90% of your nerves do not feel pain. So you can have a pinched nerve that is adversely affecting the function of an organ and not know it.

Foods for cleansing and detoxifying

Regarding food, you want to cut back or cut out alcohol, meat, sugar, dairy, coffee, soda, and artificial sweeteners. These are the seven deadly sins of nutrition that, over time, will build up toxins. Experts agree that you can get all the nutrients you need to live a long and healthy life by eating a plant based diet consisting mainly of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds.

Although I don’t recommend it, if you are going to eat animal products, I strongly advise eating organic. Commercially processed, dairy products and eggs have a tendency to be high in chemicals such as steroids, hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, and herbicides. It is best to eat at least 30% of your diet raw. I recommend you eat as much organic food as possible especially if you are going to eat soy or corn because over 90% of corn and soy are genetically modified. Long term studies are now coming out on the use of genetically modified foods and the results are very scary. Reactions to genetically modified foods include, but certainly are not limited to, allergic reactions, decreased brain function and sterility. By eating a more plant-based diet, you can avoid much of the toxic exposure most folks are getting from a more animal-based diet. By eating a more plant based you will also increase your fiber intake, which will help your bowels work normally and help to detox the waste from your body. Note: normal bowel function is two to three times a day, not two to three times a week, as many people experience! For more information on eating a more plant based diet, please see my book “Eating Right For The Health Of It!”

Water is another important aspect that must be addressed if we are discussing detoxification. When you are an infant, there is a part of your brain that controls hunger and there is another part of your brain that controls thirst. As we become toddlers, those two parts of the brain grow together and we have a tough time distinguishing between hunger and thirst. Many times we think we are hungry and we are actually thirsty. One good way to tell if you have had enough water is to see that your urine is clear, clear enough to read a newspaper through. (Now, I do not recommend you try this!) Water will help all the organs of detoxification do their jobs more efficiently. I would suggest distilled or reverse osmosis water.
When it comes to topical products such as shampoo, perfumes, toothpastes and even clothes soap and dryer sheets, I would suggest you only put something on your skin that you would be willing to eat. Your skin is a sponge and anything you put on your skin will be absorbed into your system. So, a good rule to follow is:  if you cannot eat it, do not use it!

If you are ready to start cleansing and detoxifying your system, take a look at our intestinal cleanser!

Do you have any questions please call my office at 770-427-7387 or you can send us a message in the live chat.